When Kristyna Vaughn concludes her prep career at Evans High School in May, she plans to continue stepping up to the plate in the South Atlantic Conference.

Vaughn, 17, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play softball at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn.

“I visited a couple of other schools, but I knew after I got (to Tusculum), after I visited the campus, it was where I wanted to be,” Vaughn said. “I loved the campus and I got along really well with the girls.”

Pleas to pass a transportation sales tax were incorporated into discussions about promoting economic development in Georgia during a Thursday breakfast meeting for area business executives.

Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chris Cummiskey and state Rep. Ben Harbin both characterized the T-SPLOST as an engine to drive development during the meeting sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce at Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

The Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau likely won’t get a new leader until next year.

After five years with the CVB, executive director Beda Johnson resigned last month. Johnson would not comment on her resignation and CVB officials only would say she intends “to pursue other interests.”

Last week, CVB board Chairman Surinderjit Singh said the board plans to wait until at least Dec. 31 before starting the search for a replacement for Johnson. He called it “a cooling period.”

A section of Sandalwood Drive in Martinez will continue to remain closed to through-traffic for at least 30 more days.The section of Sandalwood Drive in the Springlakes neighborhood between Spring Lakes Drive and Knollcrest Circle North already has been closed for about four months while work crews upgrade the stormwater system near Reed Creek.Motorists using that portion of Sandalwood Drive will need to continue to detour around it, according to an email sent Tuesday from Columbia County Emergency and Operations Director Pam Tucker.